Just Like Fire
by Rise of the Blossom
Summary: Collection of one-shots that are not related with one another. Still accepting prompts and requests! Make sure you read the beginning of the one-shot for the rating, as they all vary.
1. Story 1: Behind the Mask

**A/N – This is a collection of one-shots that are not related with one another (unless I post at the very start of them that they are, which is a slim possibility depending on whether anyone requests a sequel). I'm still accepting requests, so if you have any, share them!**

* * *

 **Just Like Fire**

* * *

 **Story 1  
Prompt: Behind the mask. Own prompt, just to get the ball rolling.  
Rating: M (just to be on the safe side)**

" _I'm in position."_

Lowering herself into a crouch, Sakura's eyes narrowed and she raised a hand to her earpiece, making sure to keep her voice extra quiet as she murmured, "So am I."

The tree she was hiding in was large and, much to her amusement, it happened to be a tree filled with fully bloomed cherry blossoms. They were in the middle of spring and they would soon be filling the streets with their fallen petals, but for now, it meant she blended in with the tree rather well for once. Her pink hair would be masked within the flowers.

It was another dull day, one without a mission and as it just so happened, she was also unneeded at the hospital, too, meaning she had a day that had to be filled in one way or another. What better way than to track down her teammates and goad them into another one of their personal missions?

What kind of mission was that?

Her third teammates voice came through, soft, yet still clear, into her ear as he replied, " _Operation mask… begin."_

* * *

Not for the first time in the past hour, she winced, rubbing her sore head as she contemplated healing herself to be rid of the ache. However, it was a minor injury and a total waste of chakra.

By her sides, her teammates were in no better condition. They all sat defeated, breathing out sighs as they ate their late night supper at Ichiraku's.

"That is the last time we go along with your plan, idiot," came Sasuke's haughty snarl.

" _Eh?_ " It was a reaction Sakura should have been expecting, but she still winced as his yell of discontent echoed loudly down her ears, slamming around her already aching head. "We were doing fine until he got serious!"

Oh and she wondered why that was. Maybe it was because, out of nowhere, Hatake Kakashi's home had been invaded by his three beloved, adorable students, or maybe, just maybe, it was because he'd been about to go and shower after a month long mission and had been completely unaware of their presence until they burst into his apartment, due to being so exhausted.

They had gone along with Sasuke's sneak attack. They had gone along with Naruto's, as he dubbed it, going in with all guns blazing attack, with her leading the way due to her strength.

Next it would be her turn to come with a strategy.

But first…

"Ow, ow, ow!" She winced, hand once more grabbing her head.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Next time we'll show no mercy."

* * *

It had been three years.

In that time, there had been many failed attempts at unmasking their sensei – former sensei, rather. Each and every time, no matter how long they spent strategizing and bringing in outside help, they failed spectacularly. Hatake Kakashi was simply on a whole other level to them and it felt like they would never catch up. Deep down, however, Sakura knew it was merely because of how well he knew them. He knew how they would think, how they would plan their next attack.

Even at twenty years old…

Sakura smirked.

Old habits die hard.

Red and black eyes met hers and her smirk widened at the discreet nod the man gave her before dashing off out of sight, his presence going undetected. He was, after all, Sasuke's older brother. Uchiha Itachi did not do things half-assed.

The genjutsu was in place, so strong that she knew she wouldn't have been able to sense it, let alone release herself from it. The same would go for her former sensei, who was currently on strict orders _not_ to use his Sharingan, which was heavily bandaged courtesy of her beloved shishou. There had been a horror story or two thrown in there for good measure before forcing him to have it bandaged up.

All she needed now was…

Her eyes shot to the left, narrowing fractionally.

It was time for the next stage of her plan.

She reeled in her composure, breathing in deeply and then letting out a loud cry of, "Stop it, you two!" Tears filled her eyes and she clutched her chest, desperation obvious. "Stop it!"

The genjutsu was showing a vicious battle to the death between her two teammates. It showed them tearing chunks out of each other and using their most lethal jutsu against one another. In reality, they were both in a tree behind her, masking their presence and remaining silent.

"What the hell happened?" Kakashi demanded, skidding to a halt beside her with his single eye wide. "I was gone for five minutes!"

Oh her poor, unsuspecting sensei. Holding back a smirk, she faced him, brow puckering and features pleading. "You've got to stop them, sensei! They started arguing about who was stronger and then… Then Naruto said he'd like to see Sasuke-kun's Chidori try to outdo his Rasengan!"

If Kakashi's eye wasn't wide before, then it was now. In fact, he looked awfully pale and pure terror was etched deeply on the only part of his face revealed. "Those idiots, they'll kill each other."

"We've got to stop them!" she yelled. Daringly, she stepped forward, but Kakashi grabbed her arm, yanking her back and further away from the two men. The surrounding area rumbled as a Rasengan collided with the ground and in the genjutsu, it created a large crater. "Kakashi-sensei…!"

"Stay out of the way, Sakura."

Just as he was about to get involved, the two men ricocheted off one another's attacks, falling several feet away from each other. Slowly, shakily, they clambered to their feet, with Sasuke gripping his arm and gritting his teeth, while Naruto clutched his middle and spat out a mouthful of blood.

" _Teme…!"_

"Now, Kakashi-sensei. Do it while they've stopped!"

Like she had known he would, Kakashi intervened, putting himself right into the centre of them both. With his eye narrowed and anger pooling from him in waves, he unleashed hell on the two fakes. All the while she stood in the back, almost falling apart with laughter, but somehow managing to keep it together. Oh, why hadn't they ever involved Uchiha Itachi before? That genjutsu was flawless!

"Get out of my sight, the pair of you," he muttered darkly.

Slowly, for she knew that his bad mood would be real even though it was a genjutsu, Sakura approached Kakashi, eyes worried. "Sensei?"

As always, he did his best to cheer her up as he turned to face her, plastering another fake smile on that creased his single eye. Then, his hand fell to her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura. It's okay now."

Before he could remove his hand, she grabbed onto it, holding his hand. It was a bold move and she saw the surprise in his eye. "Kakashi-sensei…" She gazed down at the grass, feigning embarrassment and fright. "Please… can I stay with you? I don't want to be alone."

There was a sudden softness to him that she couldn't understand and hesitantly, Sakura glanced back up at him, but was unprepared for the weight of his stare. Where had this come from? This felt… different from all the times before.

"You're never alone, Sakura," he murmured.

Something in her chest clenched. "Sensei?"

And then he chuckled, hand slipping out from beneath hers and scratching the back of his head. "Sorry. That probably sounded a little creepy." Due to his eye being closed, she was unable to read his expression – though probably wouldn't have been able to, anyway. "How about I walk you home?"

She did her best to smile, grateful that the situation required her to be a little shaken up. "Thank you."

The walk was relatively quiet and the entire time, there was a respectful distance between them, one that was only closed when they had to go through the market. Sakura only sent one glance over her shoulder to try and see if her boys were following, but didn't risk more than the one, since her former sensei was no idiot and would have surely caught on. She could only hope they were following and ready for the next step.

Ten minutes later, they were stood at the top of the stairs, just outside of her door. If her teammates knew what was good for them, then they would be on the other side of that door. They had planned on Sasuke being the one to spy through the peephole, since he had the Sharingan and was capable of storing it all to memory. After, he was able to share the image like they were experiencing it for themselves.

That idiot Naruto had better not screw the plan up!

"Thank you for walking me home, Kakashi-sensei."

He smiled down at her. "It's fine. Well, I should be on my way-"

"Wait."

There was obvious surprise as he halted in his exit, looking back to her. "What is it?"

"I have to thank you properly, sensei!" She laughed like it was obvious, rolling her eyes in a playful manner. "Otherwise it would be considered bad manners."

"Is that so?" Hand coming up to cup his chin, he seemed to consider the words, but then smiled again, hand dropping to his side. "I think a 'thank you' is good enough for me."

Shit, he was leaving!

Sakura acted completely on instinct as she grabbed the front of his flak jacket with both hands and yanked on it, pulling Kakashi to her. There was a sound of utter surprise and his hands fell to the door loudly, nearly enough to startle her, but she didn't falter. She refused to.

And then she snatched his mask, but only a second before his lips were against hers.

This time she _did_ falter, especially when her back thudded against the door.

No, this was all wrong! She hadn't pulled him that hard. She knew she hadn't. And a kiss hadn't been a part of the plan. It had come from… It had been…

The feeling of his soft, bare lips brushing against hers had her involuntarily sighing and after a moment, her fingers loosened, releasing his flak jacket, but just as they were about to slip away completely, Sakura was surprised to feel rough fingertips grazing them, their fingers lacing until they were being pressed to the door.

"Sakura…" he breathed against her lips. They parted by a scant few millimetres.

Her body felt much too warm. Her lips were tingling. Her heart was clenching and skipping beats and her stomach was in knots, but not painful ones.

Just as her eyes were about to open, something fell over them and she suddenly snapped back to herself as she realised it was her own forehead protector. More space grew between their lips and it left her feeling cold.

"My, my, Sakura." There was a smirk to his voice and it was downright sinful, melting her insides and had his knee not been in the way, she would have clenched her thighs together – and she hadn't even seen what the smirk looked like yet. "You didn't think I would fall for such a dirty trick, did you?" Their joined hands touched the top of her head and in that moment, she realised her flaw. "You are much too tall for Sasuke to be able to see through the peephole."

On the other side of the door, she heard Naruto curse loudly, not even trying to stay quiet about it.

All the while, she continued to remain wide eyed and stunned. Goosebumps had broken out over her skin and she shivered.

"Tell Itachi-san that the genjutsu was flawless, as was your acting. I almost fell for it." Kakashi leaned forward and this time, she felt his smirk on her cheek as he breathed into her ear, "But you're forgetting how strong my sense of smell is, Sakura."

 _Shit!_

He could tell where the real two were!

"How many failures is this now?" he teased, nosing her ear and causing another shiver to take over. "Forty-seven, right?"

"Forty-nine," she admitted with embarrassment. Sakura was pretty certain that her face was bright red by now. "Kakashi-sensei…"

"I'm no longer your sensei, Sakura," came his softened reply.

A defeated smirk lifted her lips. "Apparently there's still a lot I need to learn from you." _About you_. "Therefore, you're still my sensei."

He chuckled.

And then the safety behind her disappeared as the door swung open, but Sakura didn't fall, even when the hold on her hands vanished in a cloud of smoke. Naruto caught her on instinct, growling angrily about Kakashi's dirty tactics.

Her hand came to her lips.

They were still tingling.

* * *

It was a week later when Sakura found herself standing outside of her former sensei's apartment, hand hesitating to knock on his door.

Never before… She bit her lip and lowered her hand again, glancing back down at the ground in shame. Never before had she ever seen her sensei as more than, well, her sensei, but that kiss last week was still playing through her mind and if she thought about it for too long, then there was the disturbing reminder of how her lips had tingled.

Part of her foolishly hoped that it was some kind of jutsu, that he had infused his chakra into making their kiss electric somehow, because it definitely couldn't be like one of the passionate kisses she'd read about – it had been a simple kiss! Kakashi's signature jutsu used the lightning element. Somehow, he sneakily shocked her lips with-

The door swung open and the man who was plaguing her thoughts leaned against the door jamb, arms folded over his chest and eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Are you going to stand there all day?"

Why she was suddenly so defensive, she wasn't sure, but Sakura couldn't stop herself from snapping, "Don't be stupid!"

"Oh?" he drawled, eye glancing upwards before he sighed. "Then what is it, Sakura? I can't focus on my book with all the hard thinking going on out here."

Oh, he was such a smart ass! It was infuriating. _He_ was infuriating. "You kissed me."

He didn't so much as bat an eyelash. "I suppose I did."

Suppose? "There's no supposing about it! Your lips were in full contact with mine. You kissed me."

"Yeah, but that could hardly be considered a kiss, don't you think?"

Something clenched in her chest. It didn't…? She tried to smile, but found she was unable to meet his eye. "I guess you're right."

Kakashi sighed again and all pretences left. "Why are you really here, Sakura?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly, rubbing her arm in a nervous gesture.

It was at least eight in the evening now. Had her venture to his apartment been any later and had other villagers not known that she was his teammate, then her visit would have been deemed as inappropriate. They would have looked down their noses on her, and their suspicious, spiteful tongues would have begun spouting lies and rumours, one after another.

There was a sound of resignation before he stepped to the side, allowing her entry. Was he thinking along the same lines as herself? Was he wary of what others would be thinking?

Sakura glanced around his apartment to distract herself as she heard the door shutting quietly behind them. It wasn't her first time there – they'd ambushed him here several times when they knew he was at his most vulnerable and they always had their asses handed to them.

Still, it never failed to amaze her. Despite the constant flow of missions that he received, Kakashi remained in a small apartment, with only the bare minimum of furniture. There were hardly any personal items to be seen other than the odd photograph of himself and his teams, meaning even in his own home, he was a mystery. Stupid man. Did he get off on being hard to understand?

The only thing that stood out to her was the bookcase that seemed to dominate the room. It was too big considering how small the place was and had it been her own apartment, Sakura would have decided to buy two separate book cases, two small ones instead of one huge one. Other than the filled to the brim bookcase and the odd photographs here and there, however, the apartment was almost empty in terms of personal items (not including clothing, of course).

The kitchen was a part of the living room, separated by a mere half-wall that dragged across the middle of the room, but there were two doors that were left ajar at the very back of the place. Sakura knew they would lead to the bathroom and his bedroom.

For such a lazy man, his apartment was almost squeaky clean.

"I don't have much in," he told her without hesitation. "Water?"

That didn't surprise her. He was a stingy bastard. "Please."

She slowly sat down on his single sofa, eyes drawn to the little orange book sitting on the coffee table before her. It was open, cover facing upwards and Sakura found it brought a small bout of comfort to her. Constant. It was one of her constants, just like Kakashi was.

Two glasses were placed down onto the coffee table and she held back her cringe at the fact that there were no placemats. Her mother had always scolded her for never using them back at home, for the liquid ruined the wood.

Kakashi sat down beside her, heaving out a sigh like everything was such a taxing challenge to him.

"You know, I'm still shocked that Itachi-san helped you out." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I never would have pegged him as they type to get involved in something like that."

It had taken some persuasion, but they managed to sway him with offerings of unlimited dango for three months. One month, it would be on her, then Sasuke and then Naruto. Really, though, she ought to retract that considering the fact Kakashi still managed to see through the genjutsu somehow.

Her arms came around her middle in a nearly defensive manner, like she was trying to block out his presence. Why was he make her so uncomfortable all of a sudden?

Yet another sigh. Geez, did he do anything but? "Just get it out, Sakura."

Fine. "What's your idea of a real kiss?"

There was a pause, but she didn't dare look up at him to read his reaction to her question, as she could already guess what he was thinking. _Did she seriously just ask that? What a stupid question. Shouldn't she already know, since she's twenty years old?_

"A real kiss is when it is consensual on both ends," Kakashi replied after a moment, shrugging carelessly. "You were tense, though I can't understand why if you were going to do it anyway."

"I wasn't!" she argued hotly, cheeks burning. Finally, Sakura managed to pluck up the courage to look at him, glaring angrily as she did so. "I was going to duck out of the way…"

"I see," came his quiet murmur. "Meaning Sasuke would've been able to see out of the peephole, after all."

"Yeah…" She shot to her feet, nearly knocking the coffee table as she did so before turning to continue glaring at him. "Why would I…?" Shaking her head, she ran her hands through her hair, tugging on the ends. "You're fourteen years my senior. You were my sensei!"

He frowned. "Sakura-"

Just as he was about to stand, too, she threw herself down, taking his breath away as she pinned him to the sofa. Thighs resting on either side of his and her hands splayed out across his chest, her frown deepened, her heart palpitating strangely at the feeling of his hands on her hips.

"Despite that…" Green eyes watched his masked lips in confusion. "I still want to…" Hesitantly, she leaned a little bit closer. "I want to feel a real kiss from you."

It wasn't a sigh this time, but it sounded like one as Kakashi breath left him harshly. It stunned her when his grip tightened on her hips, fingers digging into her flesh.

His head fell forward and his mop of hair shielded his only visible eye. Vaguely, Sakura wondered if he still thought his Sharingan was out of bounds, but decided not to mention it. The moment between them felt fragile, like one wrong word would shatter it beyond repair. They had to tread carefully.

"You fight dirty, Sakura," he muttered.

"I'm not fighting," was her whispered reply. "If I was fighting, I wouldn't be here."

Head tipping back until it thudded against the backrest of the sofa, Kakashi shut his eye, eyebrow creased and Sakura had no doubt that, had it not been covered by his forehead protector, his other would be doing the exact same thing.

He chuckled, surprising her with how tired he sounded all of a sudden. "Of all people, why would you want a kiss from me?"

Was he rejecting her? She pulled back slightly, though didn't move from his lap. "I…" Words failed her and Sakura frowned again. "You still have a lot to teach me, sensei."

This time, she was stunned by his groan. It made him sound like he was in pain. And then it occurred to her why that was and she was certain she'd never blushed so hard before. She would have stood up and left and called him a shameful pervert, however, his hands continued to keep a tight grip of her hips, keeping them close to his and her blush deepened further at how forward she had been.

"You want to feel a real kiss?"

She was hesitant to meet his eye, the air around them feeling heavy with an unbelievable kind of tension that had her swallowing hard. It was almost suffocating. "Yeah."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know," he warned.

A small smirk played on her lips. "It's a good thing cats have nine lives then, right?"

A hand left her hip, reaching for the back of her head where it fisted in her hair. It surprised her, making her gasp in shock, but that was forgotten about completely when Kakashi suddenly pulled her head down, bringing her lips down until they were mere millimetres from his.

"Would you really go so far, Sakura?"

Something was wrong. Her eyes felt heavy and her breathing was shallow. Something warm was filling her stomach and it made her want to clench her thighs together, but she couldn't due to the fact she was straddling Kakashi.

"Are you really that desperate to see beneath my mask?"

As though in a trance, she shook her head softly. "Cover my eyes again, if you must."

Slowly, the fist in her hair unclenched, trailing upwards until it was dragging the forehead protector down over her eyes, shielding her view of the world. It only made the warmth in her stomach grow, however and her thighs shifted restlessly on either side of his, breathing turning shaky.

"Are you sure you want this, Sakura?" She leaned forward when she felt an incredibly faint brush of his lips. Bare lips, might she add. "There's no going back if we do this. Even if it is just a kiss, you'll see me in a new light. I'd never be ordinary Kakashi-sensei again."

She smiled softly, forehead thudding against his and it took her a moment to realise his own forehead protector was gone. "You've never been ordinary, Kakashi."

It felt so odd on her tongue, yet so natural at the same time.

"Good."

It was safe to say she was totally unprepared for his sudden kiss, though she supposed part of her had been expecting it to be something like this. His lips moved against hers insistently, hungrily and she could feel his hot breath mingling with her own. Again, her thighs clenched around his and her brow puckered, fingers tangling in his shirt to try and steady herself, but it was pointless. The kiss was a total assault on her senses. It felt like Kakashi was everywhere. All she could smell was him. All she could taste was him.

With her mouth already parted due to the kisses, it didn't take him long to add his tongue into the mix, coaxing hers to get more involved, too. Hands coming up to his hair, in the same way he had done her own earlier, she grabbed it, fists tightening and forcing his head to tilt backwards, giving her better access.

A real kiss…

She could see what he meant now.

The hands on her hips guided her, bringing her forward and her breath left her in a rush when she found something that eased the ache between her thighs, if only a little, and so she didn't argue when he continued to drag her hips forward and back, in short intervals that soon grew rushed.

By now the ache was practically throbbing, but it wasn't unpleasant and at a particularly rough thrust of his hips, her head fell backwards, hair tumbling down her spine.

Kakashi took full advantage of her exposed neck, lips immediately trailing hot, open mouthed kisses against the skin and Sakura couldn't help but shiver as his teeth grazed her throat.

 _Oh, Gods._

She could understand what he meant by a real kiss.

Forget the tingling that had only affected her lips. Now it felt as though it was rushing throughout her entire body, like hot flames were taking over the warmth that had been in her belly. Sakura was certain that, should she have wanted to, she wouldn't be able to stand, either.

"Last chance, Sakura." Kakashi's voice was almost strained.

Idiot. Like she was going to turn down something that felt so… so right. So natural.

Apparently her reply of a kiss wasn't enough, because he parted their lips and there was a pause. Was he looking at her? What was he thinking?

"Not enough, Sakura," he murmured and she felt his lips hovering over hers. "Think about what you're doing. This is… too sudden." There was reluctance in his voice, like he was inwardly calling himself every name he could think of. "You've never done anything like this, have you?"

Hesitantly, she shook her head.

In their line of work, with every day possibly being their last, Sakura had… She had thought that something like this would be okay.

For the past week, she'd been warring with herself, internally struggling with the idea of kissing her former sensei and then the realisation of enjoying said kiss had completely thrown her off balance. But as soon as she realised that, she also realised that they were shinobi and in their line of work, anything could happen. It was what had brought her to his door, though that small voice in the back of her mind had stopped her from knocking.

Now, probably without even trying, Kakashi had given her the courage and the strength to actually voice her wants. Who knows what would come of it? Maybe it would eventually lead to a white picket fence life, with children and pets and grandchildren when those children grew up. Or maybe it would simply be a one-night stand. All they could do was find out.

"You've always done what you can to look out for me and you've always protected me." A small, hesitant smile pulled at her lips and after a short pause, Sakura's hands came out from his hair, slowly trailing down to his chest. "I'd be lucky to be able to give myself to someone who's always had my back, someone I trust with my life."

She felt his sigh on her lips. "I was hoping you'd say that."

A squeal of surprise left her as they were suddenly standing, her legs wrapped around his waist and his hands on her ass – she knew he was using the opportunity to his advantage, squeezing it. Such a pervert, she thought with a rare giggle. Why didn't it disgust her like it usually did? Why didn't it piss her off?

"I hope you don't have any plans for tonight or tomorrow," he told her and she could tell that they were moving. Going to the bedroom, more than likely. "I plan on keeping you in here all day, where I'm going to make love to you until you can't even walk."

There was no stopping her burst of laughter, mouth splitting open and then she bit her lip. He was such a pervert, but a romantic one at that. Those books seemed to have had some kind of influence on him and Sakura was wondering if perhaps that influence ran into the bedroom, also.

Surprise shook her as her back fell against the mattress and Kakashi was right on top of her, body pressing down on hers and lips brushing against hers briefly.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," he breathed between kisses. "Ever since that mission in Suna, the one where you sprained your ankle and I had to carry you all the way home."

Forget feeling surprised. The admission left her practically floored and she stilled despite his pleasant ministrations, eyes going wide beneath the forehead protector.

 _Talk about sudden, the hypocrite…_

That mission had been a year ago, not long after her nineteenth birthday. It had been just the two of them for once and they'd been in Suna for a prolonged period of time, going possibly months without seeing their friends or their beloved village. It was the first time she'd been away from home for so long, but with Kakashi, he'd made it seem like nothing, like time was flying by.

Just as his lips were about to move in again, Sakura placed a hand over them and forced him back so that she could sit up. Even though she wanted to, she didn't make a single move to take away the forehead protector covering her eyes.

"For a whole year…?" she whispered, unable to make her voice any louder. "Why didn't you…?"

"Say anything?" Kakashi sighed and she felt a shift on the bed. How would he be sitting? Would he be on his knees, sitting back onto his legs? Was he even sitting down? What was his expression like? "It's like you said earlier: there's an age gap-"

"Who gives a crap about age gaps?" Sakura snapped in reply. It felt like her heart was in her throat! "Kakashi, you…" Damn it. Why couldn't she think of anything to say? Why did it feel as though her body was on fire? "You should have told me."

He chuckled at that. "What good would it have done? What would it have changed?"

"Everything!" came her yell of disbelief. There was a considerable amount of distance between them because when she threw her arm out, she didn't feel him. "It changes _everything_!"

"Sakura-"

"I'm stupid when it comes to things like this, Kakashi. I'm stupid and impulsive and it takes a punch to the face for things to make any sense for me." Her hands twitched, about to yank off the cover over her eyes, but she stopped herself at the last second. Shattering the shaky trust between them couldn't happen. "It wasn't until that… that kiss that I realised-" Cutting herself off, she breathed out with an angered sigh. "I wouldn't mind it." But then she shook her head, throwing herself back against his pillows with an aggravated sound. "But I thought you'd just be in it for the sex, if it even got that far."

A pause. "I see."

Damn it. What fucking expression was he wearing? What was he thinking? Why the hell did he always have to be such a mystery? "I don't know if I'm ready for all this, Kakashi." It still felt strange not adding sensei to his name, for crying out loud! "I'm not scared of commitment, or of people knowing about… us, if that's what you want."

There was no movement from him that she could sense and she had no idea what expression he was wearing. "What is it?"

That wasn't a disagreement, was it? Did that mean he wanted something to happen between them? Something more serious? "What if it turns out to only be lust between us? What if… somewhere down the line, only one of us has stronger feelings?"

More hesitation. Was he having second thoughts? Was he having the same thoughts as her own? The worries and the doubts?

A deep sigh and finally, when it felt like minutes had gone by, she felt his hands on the sides of her head, making her flinch ever so slightly. Damn it. Only Kakashi was capable of moving without her sensing a damn thing. Anybody else and she would have been able to feel the shifts in the air, but not Kakashi.

Slowly, much to her astonishment, his hands joined at the back of her head and after a split second, Sakura felt the forehead protector loosening.

"I have always kept people at arms-length." Another tug and it loosened further. "And I have always held back when it came to big changes in my life, changes that involved other people. Perhaps one day I'll be able to tell you about it and about my life, about my mistakes and my regrets, but right now, I want nothing more than to make love to the woman who has been unknowingly making my life hell for the past year."

And then the forehead protector fell to her lap and she could see everything, her eyes wide as they stayed glued to Kakashi's. That was by far the most emotional speech she'd heard him say and it left her breathless that he was willing to open his heart for her.

Green eyes greedily roamed his features suddenly, drinking them all in and she was stunned to find that they had all been wrong in their assumptions. There was no horrendous overbite, or fish lips, or acne or even scars (other than the one they already knew about, the one that went straight through his eyes and down his cheek). The only minor defect was the mole on his chin and even then, that could hardly be considered a blemish or defect.

The mole, the scar and the messy mop of hair all came together to give him ruggedly handsome appearance. Not only that, but he definitely looked ten years younger than his supposed age of thirty-four, going onto thirty-five!

"How do you know I'm not doing this to see beneath the mask?" she asked almost breathlessly.

Oh, Gods. Even his smile made her insides warm. "You don't have it in you to hurt someone who is at their most vulnerable."

She laughed at that. "You're never vulnerable, Kakashi."

"I'm vulnerable now."

Her eyes snapped back to his, a fraction wider than usual. "You are?"

"What do you say, Sakura?" There was that cheery smile again. She recognised the creasing of his eyes. "Would you like to take the leap with me?"

Sakura bit her lip, but her mind was made up within moments. In every relationship there was always the risk of things not working out. Like Kakashi said: they would be taking a leap. They would be willingly risking their hearts to try and find out if they would work.

She folded her arms over her chest and looked away, putting on a haughty expression. "Fine, fine. But you better take me out for dinner!"

He was suddenly above her once more, a sinfully beautiful smirk pulling up the corner of his lips. "It'll even be my treat for once."

There was no stopping her laugh at that, memories flashing through her mind of all the times he'd skipped out on the bill, forcing a member of Team Seven to pay his half. It was aggravating, sure, but it was something that made Kakashi, well, Kakashi.

And then something occurred to her and she slapped his arm, making him wince and pull back.

"What was that-"

"You sneaky man!" she scolded, eyes narrowed and dangerous. "You're Sukea-san – the photographer from that mission years ago!"

He chuckled sheepishly.

* * *

 **A/N – I don't know, I just see Kakashi as the type to really cherish his other half, should he ever take the leap. Like, treat them like they're royalty kind of cherishing, you know?**

 **I was planning on this being more of a PWP but it took a mind of its own as I was writing it. Perhaps it could've been drawn out into a multi-chaptered story, that way it wouldn't have seemed as rushed, but I honestly wanted to keep it as a one-shot. Maybe I'll think of making it more one day, but for now I'm happy with it the way it is.**


	2. Story 2: Dance With Me

**Story 2  
Prompt: "Sakura gets Kakashi to dance." – Requested by The White Leopard.  
Rating: T**

* * *

No expense had been spared for the wedding of Uzumaki Naruto and the woman who had finally gained his attention and love, Hyuuga Hinata – well, Sakura supposed that it was Uzumaki Hinata, now.

She, Ino and Tenten had practically thrown a celebration party when news broke of Naruto confessing his feelings to her, because damn it, it had taken long enough! Hinata had gone through so many things because of that boy and she had had to endure so many heartbreaks. The main one being his old crush on Sakura and after that, all his fan-girls who flocked to him after Pein's attack on the village. While he drowned himself in the attention of beautiful girls and women, Hinata had stood on the side-lines, watching and waiting for her moment.

Biting back her yell of victory for them both, Sakura grinned, practically bubbling with excitement. Love always made her giddy, especially a love that was so pure and breath-taking such as theirs.

During the entire ceremony it was like Naruto and Hinata only had eyes for one another and they only parted long enough to have a few pictures with the guests before returning to each other.

It was the kind of love that made you feel jealous, but at the same time, it didn't because it was just so beautiful that you didn't want to taint it in any way, or with any negativity. Shattering the picture that they made together was heartless and cruel.

Most of all, however, Sakura was incredibly happy for her friends. They truly did deserve each other and she hoped and prayed with all her heart that they would be happy together. If anyone deserved a happy ending, then it was them. It was the boy who had been alone for almost his entire life and it was the girl who had been shunned and looked down upon by her clan.

Music blared around them and green eyes glanced around, taking in the fairy lights wrapped in and around the trees, accompanied with lanterns. They were leading the way onto a round platform of sorts, big enough for them all to dance on. Surrounding the platform were tables filled with food and drinks and it was all so beautiful!

People were dancing and talking with one another and the atmosphere was bright and happy. The only thing that was missing was the presence of their third teammate, Sasuke, who was still on his path to redemption. Sakura couldn't help but wonder how it affected Naruto, whether or not he was sad about him not being a part of what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life.

It was quite frustrating, if she was being honest. There'd been plenty of time for him to come back, to spend just a few hours in Konoha to witness his friend and former teammate getting married. Naruto had personally gone out to Sasuke and invited him months in advance. If that wasn't a sign that he really wanted him there, then Sakura wasn't sure what was.

Pushing aside her annoyance and worry, she smiled brightly and raised her arms as said blond approached, the smile changing to a grin when she was lifted off her feet and spun around.

"Congratulations," Sakura told him warmly once she was set back down.

Naruto returned her grin. It looked as though he was ecstatic and she couldn't even blame him. "I did it, Sakura-chan!" He gave her that childish laugh, eyes squinting shut with his happiness. "I'm married."

She couldn't help but laugh along with him. Screw Sasuke, came a rare thought. This was Naruto and Hinata's big day and she wouldn't allow him to ruin it for them. Anyone who dared to try was going to be on the receiving end of one of her more infamous punches that destroyed anything within reach.

" _Naruto!"_

Blue eyes went over his shoulder and he waved, grin widening. "I'll be there in a second, Konohamaru!"

Lightly, her fist bumped his arm and he turned back to her, grin fading to a smile. "Go and enjoy yourself, idiot," she ordered.

But Naruto hesitated, indecision clear on his features. "Are you going to be okay?"

Maybe he had hoped that Sasuke would come, if not for the wedding itself and the joyous occasion, then at least for her? Honestly, Sakura wouldn't put it past him. "Women have to be strong in order to survive," she stated with a smirk. "Don't underestimate me, Naruto. I don't need him to be happy. Just being here, surrounded by all our friends and seeing so much peace and joy and love…"

It made all the pain they'd had to endure so worth it.

He agreed wholeheartedly, nodding once before whirling around and whooping loudly, meeting Konohamaru halfway in one of their strange shenanigans. Even though they were older now, they were still so childish together.

The feeling of a presence appearing by her side had Sakura glancing up and her smile returned at the sight of their former sensei and Rokudaime Hokage. Even though he was absolutely swamped with Hokage duties, he still made time to make sure he was there for Naruto's wedding – and that wasn't even taking in consideration the fact that Kakashi disliked social events.

"Makes you wonder what we're doing wrong," he drawled, watching the odd sight that was Naruto and Konohamaru.

Sakura giggled at that, choosing not to dwell on the thought too long. Everyone else was going off into their pairs, dancing to the lively music. If she focused on it too much, then she would have to face the loneliness of being the only member of Rookie Nine that didn't have a lover – not including Sasuke, obviously.

In all honesty, she didn't even know what was going on with her relationship with Sasuke. When he first left the village after returning, they'd been on not great terms, but good terms. She had been the one who stood by his side while he recovered, following Tsunade's teachings. However, Sasuke had left before his bionic arm was ready, choosing to adjust to life without his left arm instead of having a fake. It was noble, sure, but it worried her greatly. Adjusting to something so big while out the village…

No. She had made a promise to herself that Sasuke would not ruin the night.

"Would you like to dance, Kakashi-sensei?"

It was still odd calling him Rokudaime or Hokage and Kakashi had even told her and Naruto that it didn't feel right. So, unless they were in the presence of higher ups, he was just their plain old Kakashi-sensei.

"I'm really no good at it."

A pout formed and she turned her back on the couples, frowning up at him. "Please? For your favourite and most charming student?"

He laughed at that, eyes creasing with mirth and warmth. It seemed even Kakashi was being affected by the love that was so obviously in the air, because he was definitely more free in his emotions in that moment in time.

"You would have to buy me a drink first."

The pout intensified. "It's a free bar."

"Then why don't you go and-"

"Because you'll disappear before I even get there!"

Kakashi smiled. "You know me well."

Deciding to take a chance, Sakura lunged, grabbing his hands in a grip that threatened to crush them should he deny her. It certainly took him by surprise, as Kakashi could only stare in shock for a moment until he copied her earlier pout.

"That isn't fair, Sakura," he told her with fake sadness and hurt.

She grinned. "There was a man who once told me that that is the life of shinobi-"

He sighed, head dropping low. "I get it. I get it."

The grin widened and Sakura began pulling him towards the platform where the others were dancing. It was reluctantly that he followed, but there were no more arguments as they reached the dance floor.

Instead, he surprised her by tugging on the hands and yanking her forward, smiling cheerfully as the beat picked up. "Try to keep up, Sakura."

Wait, what-

There was no time to think or so much as breathe because all of a sudden, her world began to spin as she and Kakashi made their way around the dance floor, pulling each other closer and parting and twirling and grinning widely. They put the others to shame with their dance moves and Sakura held her breath as he reached out without warning and flipped her upside down over his arm until she was right way up again. In the background, she heard Naruto whooping once more, but she was too focused on the grin in Kakashi's eyes. It seemed that, despite his arguments, he was having fun.

Who would have thought that he could dance? And so wildly, too!

But it was definitely a pleasant surprise that pushed away the loneliness that would swallow her whole at the sight of everyone else in their happy relationships, and for that, she was grateful.

It was like Kakashi had always been her knight in shining armour, someone she could always depend on to save her day.

* * *

 **A/N - Probably not the kind of dancing anyone was picturing, but I truly think the slow dancing and gazing lovingly into one another's eyes has been waaaaay overdone. I admit I had a certain couple stuck in my head while writing this (please don't kill me, guys, but it was Jasper and Alice Cullen).**


	3. Story 3: Little Red Riding Hood

**Story 3**

 **Prompt: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf – Smash41KMF  
Rating: M. Shameless PWP.**

* * *

"Why, Grandma, what big eyes you have."

"All the better to see you with, my dear."

Narrowing her eyes and planting her hands on her hips, she leaned forward, pursing her lips. "Why, Grandma, what big ears you have."

Laying spread out on the bed before her, the woman smiled. "All the better to hear you, my dear."

Her lips twitched. "Why, Grandma… what big teeth you have."

She sat up at that, beckoning her closer and like it was a spell of some sort, she drifted forward. "All the better to taste you, my dear."

Something in her belly clenched and she swallowed hard when the red hood was gently brushed off the top of her head in a seemingly grandmotherly gesture. "Why, Grandma… what a big bulge you have."

The smirk replaced the smile. "All the better to satisfy you with, my dear."

* * *

Don't even get her started, or ask any questions.

Sakura threw her head back as her legs were spread out further, body jerking with each powerful thrust.

The man who was – forgive her for her vulgarity – fucking her, was a major fan of the classics in literature, going from Shakespeare to Austen then Hardy and yes, even supposed children novels. So much so that they re-enacted a few of them.

Hands fisted tightly and her body bowed, grinding against his body the second he paused in his thrusts. She couldn't touch him, much to her displeasure. Her hands were bound to the bed posts by strong, chakra enlaced rope, meaning she couldn't even break it with her superhuman strength, either.

It wasn't the biggest turn on for her and for the longest time, Sakura had been unable to say half the lines with a straight face. But seeing how it affected Kakashi and how much he enjoyed it, she pushed aside her embarrassment at such acts. After all, that was what you did for the people you love.

Okay, perhaps not exactly letting them fuck you sideways while acting out children's beloved novels, or any other kind of stories, but that was beside the point. You gave things up for them to make them happy.

She bit her lip harshly, hips bucking out of time with his rhythm when her lover groaned deeply, his hand coming up to her throat and squeezing.

A year ago (possibly longer), Sakura definitely wouldn't have pictured herself doing this or even consider doing it. That went for the choking and light bondage, too. However, Hatake Kakashi had opened her eyes to a lot of things, allowing her to think it over before actually going through with any of it. Being the person that he was, of course, once she agreed, they got straight into it and he even had her coming up with safe words to tell him when she was at her limit, or was coming close to her limit.

Saying that, though… If there was anyone she'd feel comfortable with, or in safe hands with, while doing such acts, it had to be him.

Kakashi's free hand came down on her ass, spanking her hard and making her body shudder in a mixture of pain and pleasure. There'd be a mark, she knew there would be even if she couldn't actually see yet, but Sakura also knew that he would take care of her. They had special balms and lotions and whatnot to soothe the sting afterwards.

One time, he'd spanked her so hard, so much, that she hadn't even been able to sit down. He had been punishing her for one thing or another. Probably breaking character.

"The… The huntsman…" Sakura fought hard to remain in character. "He'll come and…"

His reply was spoken while leaning closer, lips hovering over hers. "But who will come first, I wonder?"

It was like something out of a crappy porno, but…

Oh, Gods!

It was going to hurt later. It was going to look like she had a damn cork shoved up her-

"O-Oh!" she cried out, his hips harshly slamming into hers and filling the room with a crude sound of flesh slapping against flesh.

And…

He was right. She was…

Totally and unavoidably coming undone, bringing her lover down with her. Usually, Sakura would have liked to hold onto him, but the bindings kept her held down, as did the hand wrapped around her throat.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Heavy eyes met dark and droopy and she allowed a tired smile to pull at her lips, widening at his responding lopsided grin. With gentle tugs, Kakashi released her from her bindings before laying down beside her, pulling the covers over them both.

The tender moment was destroyed when a blond suddenly shot through the window, landing on the ledge expertly. His hair was frizzy, blue eyes wide with worry until they locked onto the sight of them, pure horror draining him of the colour in his cheeks.

"The huntsman," Sakura whispered with a giggle, hiding her face into Kakashi's side.

"Aw, c'mon, guys!" Naruto fell backwards as he slipped off the ledge, shielding his eyes. "Stop involving me in this freaky shit!"

* * *

 **A/N - Very very short and not my best, but I saw quite a few Red Riding Hoods while I was out on Saturday for Halloween and I wrote most of this on my phone while drunk.**


	4. Story 4: Soulmates

**Story 4**

 **Prompt: Soulmate – Requested by JesterOfSpades39  
Rating: T**

* * *

What did he think of soulmates?

Tapping his chin, he pretended to appear deep in thought, when really, he already knew what he thought about soulmates, or the possibility of having one.

Being bluntly honest, he knew he had a soulmate. He knew exactly who that person was, too. Had for a long time. It had been difficult getting his head around it and for the longest time, he'd vehemently refused to believe it. It was sick, he'd told himself. She was so much younger than him, was another.

"Rokudaime-sama?"

Thankful to have been dragged out of his thoughts, he smiled cheerfully. "Who knows, eh?"

The reporter seemed at a loss for a moment, having wanted a more specific answer that would fill the rest of the time and in the back of his mind, he knew Shikamaru would be shaking his head in disappointment. These interviews were his chance to open up to the people of Konoha, to share himself with them. " _It wouldn't kill you to appeal to the people, you know!_ " was something he was told often.

Smooth talking was a way to lure in many kinds of people, whether it was the Daimyō, the elders or the villagers. It was a way to keep their attention, to remain popular with them. What was he supposed to do, though? Completely change his character to entertain fickle hearts? As soon as Naruto took over, they would forget about him, anyway.

"Do you like to think you have a soulmate out there?" the reporter pushed, leaning forward in her chair. "Or do you already know who your soulmate is?"

Unfortunately, yes. He had already found out who his soulmate was. Unfortunately, there were a hundred and one reasons why they could never be together and because of those reasons, he'd only touched her when he'd had absolutely no choice but to, in cases such as saving her life, or her saving his.

When they first met, she was a kid. She hadn't been old enough for the warning signs, as he'd dubbed them. In his eyes, they were warning signs of you being tied down, or chained. Seeing that flash of colour… Well, it limited you in a lot of things, because once you saw it, you were done for.

There was a reason why he always kept himself covered up, even in the deadly heat of the summer. Skin on skin contact… couldn't happen with _her_. When she was a child, he hadn't worn his gloves for all of ten seconds and then _bam_ , his life was over.

Okay, that was an exaggeration, but it was still pretty traumatic, if you asked him.

Imagine finding out your destined soulmate wasn't just a child, but was your student?

"I think everyone likes to think there's someone out there, waiting for them," he answered at length.

She smiled, trying and failing to mask her annoyance. That wasn't the answer she wanted and they both knew it. "I see." Turning to face the camera, she added, "That's all we've got time for today! Please tune in at the same time tomorrow, where we'll have an interview with the future Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Finally dismissed, Hatake Kakashi disappeared in his signature _poof_ of smoke.

* * *

She knew he wasn't her soulmate.

Smiling and waving goodbye, she saw her husband off. In her arms was their two-year-old daughter. The only reason she was carrying her was because she'd tried several times to follow her father. Sarada had already mastered walking and running and she absolutely despised being carried around. Sometimes, it couldn't be helped.

"Sakura?"

She turned, smiling at Ino as she approached unsurely, eyes watching the retreating figure. Knowing that she was wondering whether it was safe to join them, Sakura nodded.

"How are you feeling?" the blonde asked with a frown.

Surprisingly okay. She supposed that only went to prove he wasn't her soulmate. "I'm a bit down," she lied easily. Over the years, it had grown easier to lie about her relationship. "But he's doing it for our safety, right?"

Ino smiled encouragingly. "Right!"

"Did you see the interview?" she asked and turned away from the gates, beginning the walk back to the market. In her arms, Sarada struggled, dark eyes fixated on the back of her father. He was already far enough that they could barely see him, though.

Nodding, she smirked. "Hokage-sama's always been evasive, hasn't he?"

Yes, he had. "The poor woman couldn't get a single straight answer." Though Sakura had to commend her for her stubbornness. Not a lot of people would have continued trying so hard, other than herself and Naruto. "I can't say I'm surprised, though. Kakashi-sensei has always been a private man. He wouldn't want something like that out there for everyone to know."

It was bad enough when he first became Hokage and his past was dredged up. She and Naruto had learned things about their sensei that they were certain he never wanted them to know, and even more that upset them greatly. The names he'd been called while growing up had broken her heart, especially after the war and they'd learned all about Uchiha Obito. It still hurt her now, thinking of what he'd been called.

But his interview had gotten her thinking, either way. Due to her marriage, and not wanting to dishonour her husband in any way, shape or form, Sakura never entertained the thought of having a soulmate. The fact of the matter, however, was that she'd never seen that flash of colour with Sasuke and she was certain he hadn't for her, either.

They had obviously had a lot of skin to skin contact, proven by the child who was now sulking in her arms. Even while kissing her goodbye that morning, Sakura hadn't seen a damn thing. At first, when they first got together, it had been frustrating. Nearly all her life she'd declared that she and Sasuke were supposed to be together and now that _they_ were finally happening, there was nothing.

For some reason that had never been proven or found out, children didn't see those flashes of colour when they had skin on skin contact. Sakura liked to believe it was because children were too young to get tied down in such a way. That was why she'd fought so stubbornly for his heart in the beginning, always believing they'd find out one day.

Apparently – according to Naruto, at least – when Hinata had slapped him during the war, and her bare hand had touched his cheek, it felt like his whole world had shifted, like it was no longer gravity chaining him to the earth, but Hinata herself. That was way too much for children to handle, in her eyes. If she found out that Sarada met her soulmate before the age of fifteen, she'd probably freak out.

"I guess so," Ino agreed and then held out her arms. "My turn!"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura handed Sarada over, watching as the blonde fussed over her, kissing her forehead softly and then bringing her close – or as close as those humongous things she liked to call breasts allowed her to. Ino refused to let anyone know, but Sakura knew that they caused her quite painful backache.

She loved her husband, there was absolutely no doubt about that. How could she not love a man who was so gentle with her and their daughter? A man who'd been to hell and back? A man who'd overcome his hatred and need for revenge?

Part of her _was_ sad that he had left on a mission that they had no idea when it would end. She would miss his presence around the house, would miss having someone to confide in. Most of all, she would miss the help with Sarada. The girl was a handful. Not only that, but she wanted her daughter to grow up in a happy home, surrounded by love.

Despite saying she didn't care about soulmates, however, Sakura often found herself fantasising about seeing that flash of colour. Who would the other person be? Would it turn out to be her husband, even after all these years? Would it be a close friend? Would it even be a man?

They'd only been married a handful of years, making things official when they found out she was pregnant. It often had Sakura wondering _what if_. Would she be married to him if it weren't for Sarada? Would they even be together?

She realised she was getting carried away and shut the thoughts down, barely suppressing a sigh. It was wrong of her to think that way when she was married. It was disrespectful towards her husband and their relationship. It was awful of her to wonder what life would be like if she wasn't a mother, too. The thought was confirmed when Sarada smiled up at her innocently, completely unaware of her mother's selfish thoughts.

Yes, she silently told herself for the umpteenth time, soulmates didn't matter.

* * *

Pressing a hand to her forehead, she sighed.

Sarada was eleven now. Sasuke sent letters every now and then, though not once had he returned home. Their communication was strained, their marriage even more so. So many times, Sakura had told him how difficult it was raising Sarada by herself, especially when she started asking where her father was and whether he'd be coming home to them any time soon. Once, she even asked if he was dead, and if that was the reason why the never saw him.

Sasuke's reply?

As always, it followed the lines of " _the village needs me"_. In all honesty, she was beginning to reach the end of her tether. It was a mystery how she hadn't already – a miracle, even. She'd never been patient.

She'd been raising their child alone for nine whole years now, what difference would it make if they were to divorce?

It was selfish, sure, but she was so damn tired of being alone. She was tired of having to look their beautiful, beautiful daughter in the eye and lie to her. At the very least, the _very, very_ least, Sasuke could have returned for Christmases or Sarada's birthdays. He could have sent a goddamn card, telling her he was sorry to miss it and that he loved her.

Instead, they got silence.

Without warning and completely overrun with her anger, Sakura's fist slammed backwards, leaving an impressive amount of damage to the building behind her, given the fact it was without chakra.

In an instant, somebody was appearing in front of her.

"I should've known. Not a lot of people have such monstrous strength."

Green eyes shot up to charcoal ones, already apologising as it dawned on her _what_ building she'd almost destroyed.

It was only the Hokage Tower.

"I'm so sorry!"

Opposite her and crouched on the banister, Kakashi sighed, having immediately leapt out of his window at the warning shake of the building about to collapse, prepared to confront whoever had dared to attack him. Fortunately, it didn't collapse and it turned out to be his former student, who he'd been speaking with only moments before.

If it weren't for his constant checking up on Sasuke, she doubted they'd even have the small conversations they did.

And, much to her horror, tears of frustration filled her eyes.

She was tired of feeling like nothing was enough for him, like her love wasn't enough for him, or their child. Going against the beliefs of pretty much the entire world, for they all knew that soulmates did exist, she'd married Uchiha Sasuke, knowing deep in her heart that he wasn't hers.

She was so sick of his pathetic excuses for never returning to see them, even for a flying visit. That mission didn't say he could never return home. It didn't say that he couldn't visit his daughter on her birthday, or for Christmas, or when she was sick, even when Sakura told him over and over again that he was always number one on her lists for what she wanted.

She was so _done_ with her daughter's heart being broken time and time again whenever she realised she wouldn't get that number one gift. She was so done with holding Sarada as she cried herself to sleep, wondering aloud why her father didn't love her. She was so done seeing it chip away at her personality, taking away her carefree, cheerful child and leaving her with a sarcastic, blunt know-it-all who thought the whole world was beneath her, very much like her father had at that age, when he felt like he had no one in the world.

"I'm so done!"

The exclamation shocked her more than it did Kakashi, who, for the longest time, could only stare at her with wide eyes. Even with his mask in place, she could see his mouth hanging open by just the smallest amount.

Her hands quickly covered her mouth, like that alone would make the words come back to her, like they'd never been said in the first place. She was pretty sure her eyes were even wider than his, but instead of with shock, hers was with horror.

She couldn't believe she'd said it out loud.

"Sakura…" Kakashi's voice was full of shock, too. Silver-grey eyebrows knitted together, both concern and uncertainty written all over whatever features she could see. "Do you really mean that?"

It felt like the ring on her left hand was burning her, reminding her of the vows she made.

But…

"I…" The tears that had filled her eyes finally fell, slipping down her cheeks soundlessly. "Y-Yes." It felt like an invisible weight was just sliding away with her tears as she replied, "I really mean it."

This didn't feel like her previous anger towards Sasuke whenever she received another weak excuse. It didn't feel like the disappointment she always felt. It didn't even feel like the sadness and the tears she'd often cried, though had stopped feeling or weeping after the second year.

She had…

She was no longer in love with her husband.

* * *

The divorce process was a tedious one.

Though she wasn't surprised that Sasuke hadn't returned for that, either.

Wanting to break the news to him in person, they'd arranged to meet up at an old shrine not too far from Fire. He'd been stunned for a while, unsure of what to say, but after hearing her out, he'd agreed. There wasn't much else for him to do, really and it seemed, somewhere down the line, he'd fallen out of love with her, too.

It wasn't as simple as signing some papers, though. Having a child made things even more difficult, drawing out the divorce. They had to come to decisions and agreements, always thinking of what was best for Sarada. It wasn't until she was almost thirteen years old that the divorce was finalised, nearly a whole year after it was filed. It had taken even longer due to Sasuke's absence.

The second Sakura stopped wearing her ring, Sarada had disappeared, frightening the life out of her. It was after a particularly heated argument, where Sarada had said a few horrible things, leading to Sakura losing her temper and destroying their home. When she awoke from passing out, Shizune had told her Sarada was missing, along with her friend, Akimichi Chōchō _._

It broke her heart that that was the first ever meeting she'd had with her father in over ten years and under those circumstances, too, but sadly, she couldn't change it. Though it brought her a sense of closure, Sakura had to admit. Sasuke had put their daughter straight, telling her simply that without love, she wouldn't even exist. He'd even shown her kindness when Sakura was injured. It eradicated all thoughts of not being good enough from her mind, while also easing the guilt Sakura had felt.

Somehow – she wasn't even going to wonder how – Sarada had talked her father into returning to the village for a few days. For the whole journey home, Sakura had wondered if it would reignite their love for one another, having him home. That having him around the house like an ordinary family would bring back old feelings.

It was around that time that their divorce was finalised.

They just didn't have a fairy-tale happy ever after. Not together, anyway.

For the final time, Sasuke had thanked her with a poke on the forehead, leaving her feeling emotional. She'd pulled him in for a final embrace, hiding her tears from view as she wept silently in his one-armed embrace. Even Sasuke had admitted to feeling sad that it was ending, agreeing when she said it was like an end of an era. Neither of them could deny that they felt relieved, though.

Stretching in her booth, Sakura then reached for her cup of sake, drinking it quickly.

Sarada was away on a mission with her team and Konohamaru, so she had decided to go out for dinner, not wanting to sit alone in the house. Her dinner companion had yet to arrive, but it didn't bother her. The guy was late to everything – would even be late to his own funeral.

Throughout the divorce, Kakashi had been her rock. After her shocking confession, something even more shocking had happened: he sat her down and they talked about it for what felt like a really long time. He reminded her of how hard she'd fought for the relationship in the past, and how, despite all that was thrown their way, she continued loving Sasuke with all her heart.

When realising that it really was the end, Kakashi had stood by her side, helping her set up a meeting with her husband. He helped her with Sarada when she was being particularly troublesome. He contacted Sasuke basically _begging_ him to come back to the family. Most of all, he was her friend when she truly needed one.

"Sorry I'm late."

Rolling her eyes, she gestured to the seat opposite her, closing her medical textbook now that he had arrived and placing it on the floor beside her. It was because of his tardiness that she'd brought it.

"What excuse is it this time?" she asked. "Helping another old lady? Lost on the road of life?"

"Something like that," Kakashi replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Unbelievable. They both knew he stood in front of the cenotaph for hours on end, though she supposed it amused her that he still tried to come up with excuses.

It was around two years ago that he'd stepped aside from his position as Hokage, allowing Naruto to take the mantle. Sakura could still remember the look of utter relief he'd shot her and Sarada's way during Naruto's inauguration. It'd had her daughter laughing for hours – hell, days after when she so much as thought of Kakashi or heard his name. It had been so nice to see her truly laugh for the first time in who knows how long.

Placing her elbow on the table, she rested her cheek on her fist, watching as Kakashi removed his flak jacket and gloves. In a normal, in and out place like Ichiraku's, it was fine to remain fully armed. Lately, however, many places asked shinobi to remove all weapons as well as flak jackets and armoured gloves. It put the civilian diners at ease if they did, they'd said.

Besides, the world was as peaceful as it was ever going to get! Sakura couldn't see the harm in removing weapons and armour during meals, though she knew many disagreed with her. Was one really a shinobi if they relied so greatly on weapons all the time? Even without chakra, a shinobi's taijutsu was deadly. Hers and her daughter's, especially.

Seeing that her companion had joined her, the waitress returned, taking their orders and once they were out of the way, Sakura went back to regarding Kakashi. He was looking so much better now that he was no longer stuck at a desk all day long. Now that he was training regularly and seeing the sun, Kakashi had caught a tan and no longer held an air of immense exhaustion.

"How's things going?" she asked curiously, cheek returning to her hand.

"Rather well," Kakashi responded with a smile. "Sarada-chan is now capable of keeping up with her Sharingan, so we'll-"

"I meant with _you_." Grabbing the bottle of sake, she tipped it up, pouring some in her cup, then some in his. Sarada had told her many times how well she was doing in her training with her shishou.

His smile became sheepish again. "There isn't much to tell," he said truthfully. "It's not like I leave the village often. Even if I'm not the current Hokage, they still don't want to risk anything."

That didn't surprise her. Tsunade had fought defiantly for _years_ to gain the permission of the elders to leave the village, wanting to take a long vacation away from the lives of shinobi. " _Peace,_ " she'd told Sakura one day. " _I just want some peace and quiet to be an old woman._ "

Who could really blame her? So many of her loved ones had died and she'd been in not one or two, but _three_ wars. It was bound to take its toll and if anyone deserved a break, then it was her shishou. So, Sakura fought by her side and may have bullied Kakashi into fighting with them, too. She was somewhere with the Godaime Mizukage, the last she'd heard from Tsunade, the pair of them enjoying their freedom, now that they knew their villages were in safe hands.

"Maybe that'll change one day," Sakura offered reassuringly. "They let Naruto out every now and then."

"That's because it's impossible to kill him," he mumbled.

"You're still here, aren't you?" She laughed, waving off his bad aura as she sat up straight.

Kakashi sighed at that, though brightened considerably when their food was brought to them. It smelled as delicious as it looked on the menu and even Sakura found herself smiling. Tempura had never seemed more appetising! Even Kakashi's salt broiled saury smelled great. They'd made it a habit of trying a different place every time they went out together.

"How many missions have you taken altogether?" she wondered aloud.

He seemed surprised by the question, pausing in rushing his food. She hoped he wouldn't rush it, as it would be such a shame to not truly taste such great food and to prove that point, she kept her head down, not looking at him while he ate. To make him just that little bit more comfortable, she'd chosen a booth near the back of the restaurant, where she was facing everyone else, but he had his back to them. There were also no windows near them.

"One thousand, one hundred and forty-one."

The fact that he kept count astounded her. She'd been expecting a guess. Despite wanting to gape at him in shock, Sakura kept her head down. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd seen him raise his hand, meaning he'd already lowered his mask.

"Doesn't that make you think that _maybe_ you should take a break?" she asked, still in shock. "I don't even think my missions are in the hundreds!"

"They are," he assured her. "Would you like the official number?"

" _Don't_ try changing the subject," she warned him with a chuckle. Taking another few bites of her food, Sakura raised an eyebrow, though still didn't look at him. For once, Kakashi was eating slowly. "Take a break! Get married. Have a few kids. You never know, you might like it! I love being a mom."

He sighed at that. "What makes you think I'm interested in anyone right now?"

"What makes you think _you_ can't have a happy ending?" she shot back. Sighing, Sakura added, "I'm not trying to nag at you, Kakashi. I just think it's your turn to be happy now."

There was no reply to that. Either he was at a total loss at what to say, or couldn't be bothered replying to her. She had no way of finding out which one it was.

"You can look up now." Kakashi was fixing his mask back into place as she did, probably knowingly teasing her by revealing a great amount of cheek to her. "Thanks."

She smiled, knowing that he was more grateful than he appeared. "Will you at least think about it?"

"Why are you so insistent on me settling down?" he asked with a deep sigh.

For a moment, she couldn't find an answer. All Sakura could do was stare at him in silence and as the seconds ticked by, she found herself frowning as she tried to find something to say. In all honesty, she had no idea why she nagging him about finding himself a happy ever after. But…

The frown disappeared and she smiled, albeit slightly. "Is it wrong of me to want someone dear to me be happy?"

"I _am_ happy," he drawled, expression serious.

Rolling her eyes, since she knew he was being sarcastic, her smile widened. "Could've fooled me!"

"No, I truly am." When she looked back up at him, Sakura reigned in her laughter, sobering up at the expression in his charcoal eyes. "I'm at peace with my past and I've completed Obito's dream of being Hokage, as well as watched Naruto fulfil his dream."

When put like that…

"Sake?" she asked, reaching out.

He reached out, too. "I'll pour them-"

And then it happened.

She saw the flash of colour.

Stunned beyond belief, all Sakura was capable of doing was staring up into the face of her former sensei. He seemed to be shocked, too. Like herself, he was watching her with widened eyes, their hands still in the middle of the table, barely even touching.

It had been the briefest of touches, their hands brushing together for not even a full second when they reached for the sake. She'd done it many of times in the past with countless friends, but not once had she ever seen the flash of colour that…

That told you you'd met your soulmate.

"Sakura…" Slowly, Kakashi pulled his hand back, unable to look away from her.

The colour had been the same as his eyes, filling her mind for a split second before it was gone again and now that it had happened, Sakura could recall many long-forgotten dreams she'd had as a child, each of them always filled with the colour charcoal.

 _Why had she never realised it before?_

She and Kakashi had touched before, hadn't they? Thinking back on their time together both as sensei and student and then as equals, she concluded that no, they mustn't have had skin on skin contact before. If they had, she would've remembered. There was a weight in her chest, the air around her felt different. She couldn't take her freaking eyes off him, even if she was staring at him dumbly!

" _I can't really explain it, you know?"_ her former teammate had said bashfully, rubbing the back of his head and messing his blond hair up further. " _The slap was only supposed to wake me up, to bring me back to the present. We were at war and everyone was counting on me! It wasn't the time to be freezing up."_ The sheepish smile had faded then, his eyes growing distant. " _But it was like… Instead of just bringing me back, she was grounding me. Like all the gravity was gone and all that was keeping me to the earth was Hinata. And all I could do was stare at her."_ Suddenly laughing at himself and unaware of her emotions, he said, " _I probably sound stupid."_

That was…

"You knew already," she realised, though didn't say it unkindly.

For a moment, he only nodded, but soon found his voice as he murmured, "You were just a kid."

The shame was clear on his face and even though it should have, the words didn't disgust her. The fact that he went out of his way to make sure they never had skin on skin contact again, told her all she needed to know. Not only that, but he'd known she was his soulmate and _still_ stood by her side as she pursued Sasuke, he _still_ attended their wedding, he _still_ helped her out with Sarada and he _still_ helped her through her divorce.

It was as clear as day to her that he'd tried his hardest to ignore it and even though it had only been a few minutes, she already knew it was a difficult task.

Swallowing to try and ease her dry throat, Sakura blinked owlishly, faintly smiling in thanks when Kakashi completed his task of filling the sake dishes. She downed it quickly, nodding once to tell him to fill it again. Once more, she downed it.

"The ink on my divorce papers isn't even dry yet," she said breathlessly.

"I know." His voice was apologetic.

Shaking her head, she managed to say, "It's not your fault, Kakashi. I…" Sakura rubbed at her face, thankful that she'd only put on mascara and lipstick that day, as the rest of her makeup would've looked frightful afterwards. "I don't know what to think."

He nodded. "Neither did I."

"Maybe…" She bit her lip, fidgeting restlessly with her hands, or, more precisely, where her wedding ring once was. "Give me some time?"

Again, he nodded, though told her sincerely, "I'm not expecting anything from you, Sakura."

Yes, she knew that already and it had her smiling gratefully.

* * *

Like she'd guessed only seconds after touching him: it was difficult ignoring that colour and even more difficult ignoring Kakashi. Those dreams she'd experienced as a child had returned at full force, and when Sakura awoke during the night, during those few short moments of trying to wake herself up, she found herself wishing he was beside her.

It had been exactly four months, one week and six days since she found out Hatake Kakashi was her soulmate. They still spoke in that time. Like she'd said: it was difficult ignoring him. It wasn't so much as she was infatuated with him and wanted to spend every waking moment with him, but more like…

Squinting in thought, Sakura turned to lay on her back, frowning up at her ceiling.

There were no words to describe how it made her feel. All she knew was that… now she knew that Kakashi was her soulmate, she didn't want to waste any time. But fear of him thinking he was her rebound kept her from acting, as did their friendship. What if a relationship didn't work, despite being soulmates? Was that possible?

A faint tapping at her window had her shooting out of bed, her best weapons clenched and ready, chakra already flooding through her arms and fists.

At the familiar silhouette, however, she released the gathered chakra and sighed tiredly, approaching the window and unlocking it, allowing him entry.

"Sarada could wake up," she told him, though didn't bother to try and sound stern. The fight of ignoring the fact they were soulmates exhausted her. "It's not appropriate having you in here at this time of night, Kakashi."

"I know," he agreed, also sighing. "But I'm tired, Sakura."

"You've got your own place and your own bed-"

"You know that's not what I mean." Stepping closer, Kakashi reached out, shutting his eyes as his fingers brushed her cheek, gently cupping it. Again, the colour flashed in her mind and for the first time in months, she felt relieved. The weight on her shoulders lifted. "I'm tired of fighting."

She nodded in agreement, leaning into his touch.

"We can go as slowly as you want or need," he assured her, other hand joining the first.

Hesitantly, she nodded again.

His forehead pressed to hers and it took Sakura a moment to realise he wasn't wearing his forehead protector. She could feel his breath on her lips, the temptation to brush hers to his strong. Somehow, she refrained from doing so.

It took her way too long to realise that his forehead protector wasn't the only thing that was missing and hesitantly, despite her vision being blurred from how close they were, she still tried to see what he looked like beneath the mask, though gave up only a second later.

"I'll take care of you. Both of you," he promised.

Throughout her difficult marriage and the divorce, Kakashi had been her rock. He took on Sarada's bad moods without batting an eyelid, giving her all the space she needed to truly think about her relationship with Sasuke. In that time, somewhere down the line, she stopped calling him her sensei and he had grown comfortable eating in front of her, in telling her of his past.

 _And now he wasn't wearing his mask._

Slowly, she also reached out, hands pressing to his chest, gently trailing her fingertips downwards until she held onto his waist.

"Okay," Sakura whispered, like speaking any louder would ruin the moment.

"Okay?"

She smiled shyly, meeting his hesitant gaze. "I want to try, too."

The lopsided grin took years away from his face, making her heart skip a beat or two and her breath leave her as the force of his smile hit her at full force. Before, she'd only ever seen the creasing of his eyes, but now… Now, she was seeing it. All of it.

And it felt like one of the most beautiful smiles in the whole world to her.


	5. Story 5: Footsie

**Story 5**

 **Prompt: Playing footsie while reading – JesterOfSpades39  
Rating: T**

* * *

She was playing dirty. Despite that, Kakashi found himself smirking at the foot brushing along his leg.

It was risky.

They were supposed to be keeping their relationship a secret. Not because they were ashamed or feared the reaction of others. It was simply because they wanted to test the waters, to see where it went before everyone else became involved, before the relationship was no longer just _theirs_. Surprisingly, it had been Sakura's idea. Apparently, she'd seen one too many relationships that'd been destroyed by gossipers.

It was still the early stages, the awkward stages. They'd been together sexually, but other than that, they weren't entirely sure how to act with one another and their most memorable date was a picnic not too far from the training grounds. Due to keeping their relationship a secret, they couldn't be seen together on dates, meaning they either had dinner over at one of their homes or away from the village altogether. Neither of them complained, but he knew she was secretly eagerly awaiting the day when they made their relationship public knowledge. How did he know? He felt the same way.

With every date and with every time they were intimate, he, Hatake Kakashi, found himself becoming more open to the idea of making their relationship serious, with settling down.

So why didn't they do it already? Why didn't they simply throw caution to the wayside and get on with it? Perhaps it was cowardly of him, but he didn't want to ruin what they had, what was growing so steadily, so _perfectly_ , between them. Maybe pessimistic was a better choice of word, actually.

"How was your mission, Kakashi-sensei?"

How she could look and sound so innocent was beyond him. For as long as Kakashi had known her – which was edging onto twelve, maybe thirteen years now – Sakura had been a terrible actress and an even worse liar. However, in that moment, nobody suspected a thing. Hell, he himself wouldn't have suspected a thing had her foot not been sneakily brushing against his leg.

It was risky because they were seated in a library. Even riskier because there were so many people there that day, mainly children from The Academy and their sensei. Hell, Kakashi was certain he'd just seen Hyuuga Hinata and Hanabi entering, shortly followed by Sai, who fortunately didn't notice them. All were seemingly oblivious to the fact Sakura's foot was sliding higher and higher, teasing her poor old sensei mercilessly.

"Dull," he replied evenly, not sparing her a glance as he turned a page in his book. Had to keep it cool, didn't he? Not so much for the sake of the others in the library, but because Kakashi couldn't let her know how much she affected him. Couldn't give her anything to use against him. "Only a-ranked."

"Only?" she exclaimed, then laughed. "Do you know how long Naruto's been bugging Tsunade-shishou for _anything_ above c-ranked?"

Her head fell into her hand but still, that gentle pressure didn't let up. Although he didn't show it, Kakashi found himself growing distracted, found himself focusing intently on her ministrations, especially when that foot reached his knee. Shit, would it go higher? Did he want it to go higher?

They'd had sex before – well, Sakura preferred to call it being intimate, or even making love. Why, he wasn't entirely sure (probably because she was a hopeless romantic). Their sex wasn't always sweet and romantic, as she'd proven earlier that day when he returned from his mission, waiting ( _naked_ , might he add) in his bed after hearing the news from Tsunade, wanting to make up for the month he'd been away. Tsunade wouldn't be thrilled that he'd yet to report – even now, five hours after returning, he'd yet to see her – but what could he say? He was–

Kakashi swallowed hard as delicate toes somewhat cupped him through his pants, charcoal eyes meeting mesmerising green.

He was infatuated.

Completely and utterly infatuated.

There was a playful look in her eyes, one only he could see, apparently. How that was possible when she was wearing one of her most sultry expressions, lips pulling up at the corners, he'd never know. Then again, everything else about her was innocent enough, he decided, once again glancing at her over his book. He'd long since lost interest in the words, especially as her ministrations had him shifting slightly in his seat, legs parting a little further to give her easier access.

How the hell could she continue to read that medical textbook? His precious _Icha Icha_ was forgotten about completely, even though he continued to keep up his lie of not being affected by her, pretending that he was still reading. The words did nothing to help his situation, however. Just glimpsing at them-

"What's wrong, Sensei?" He looked up to find Sakura was watching him from beneath her lashes, hair shielding her expression from others. "You're so tense."

Tense, huh? "No idea what you're talking about," he teased in return, turning another page. Unlike Sakura, his acting skills had always been great, so despite the fact he was now sporting an erection that was soon to grow painful should it be left alone, he kept up his act, smiling at her. "You should worry about yourself, Sakura-chan. It seems you may have restless leg syndrome."

Green eyes warmed, her smirk taking over before she had the chance to hide it. "No idea what you're talking about," she repeated his words.

"Oh?" The word was dragged out, sounding somewhat like a sigh.

She bit her lip, looking up at him from beneath her lashes. It was a look he'd never been able to resist before and Sakura knew that. Once more, her foot returned to its teasing, this time stroking him through his pants.

"Seems like you're in a bit of a situation there," she murmured, expression downright sinful. Gods, the things he wanted to do to her in that moment.

She was going to be the death of him. Composure finally slipping, he gripped his book, willing himself to gain control of his body. Letting her win… wasn't an option.

But that plan was completely blown out of his mind when she leaned across the table, exposing a wonderful amount of cleavage to him, eyes half lidded as she whispered, "Back of the library. Five minutes."

He could only nod dumbly, watching her go on ahead.

* * *

 **A/N - Sorry that took so long!**


End file.
